Multiple reports state that the Pentagon air-dropped cargo pallets full of small arms, ammo, grenades and other weaponry to supposedly vetted forces known as the Syrian Arab Army operating in the Al-Hasakah province of Syria. The drop was made via a division of C-17A cargo aircraft flying under fighter cover.

Although the air drop sounds quite bold seeing as Russia’s air power is now operating over Syria with impunity, Al Hasakah province is in the far northeast of the country. The area is one of the furthest from the central Syrian coast, where Russia has aircraft and support elements based. Additionally, the vast majority of Russian air strikes and patrols have occurred in the western half of Syria, with just a few strikes venturing towards the west, where ISIS largely rules.

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Here’s an idea of what an air drop looks like from a C-17 under combat conditions:

When it comes to equipping those directly fighting the Assad regime, which Russia is now outright supporting militarily, the U.S. seems to take a third-party approach. It’s widely known that some of the Sunni gulf states, namely Saudi Arabia and Qatar, move arms to anti-Assad fighters, some of which are heavy in nature. This includes TOW anti-tank missiles, which are said to be provided by the CIA. These missiles have been very effective against Assad’s armor and supply lines over the last year, helping shrink the territory held by the Assad regime drastically.

It was the anti-Assad forces’ taking of this territory, a shrinking edge around the central and southwestern part of Syria, that threatened Assad’s seat of power and caused Russia to intervene in the first place. Now, with only increasing capability at their fingertips, the potent mix of Russian, Assad regime and Iranian-backed forces are likely to continue retaking what was lost. Eventually they will turn their focus on an offensive against anti-Assad forces in the northwest of Syria. Considering the heavy firepower President Putin has already deployed to the region, it seems like Russia is committed and willing to do whatever it takes to crush the anti-Assad rebellion.

As for what President Obama thinks of all this? He did an interview with 60 Minutesthat aired yesterday that made it clear he sees Russia’s involvement in Syria as a failure in policy in Russia’s end, and not a lack of leadership on his.